Prof. Dr. Lars Libuda, nutrition scientist at Paderborn University, has been appointed a member of the Commission on Evidence-Based Methods in Risk Assessment at the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in Berlin. The BfR is a scientifically independent institution within the remit of the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs (BMLEH). It advises the federal government and the federal states on the safety of food, feed, chemicals and products. Whether ingredients or additives, residues, contaminants or germs and parasites – the BfR assesses food and feed according to toxicological, microbiological and nutritional aspects on the basis of internationally recognised criteria. At the end of December, BfR President Prof. Dr. Dr. Dr. h. c. Andreas Hensel appointed Prof. Libuda as a full member of the commission for the period from 2026 to 2029. 

The commission's task is to advise the BfR on establishing scientific standards in the field of evidence-based methods for assessing the health risks of food and consumer products. A particular focus is on the development and quality assurance of protocols for conducting systematic reviews, meta-analyses and weight-of-evidence assessments, i.e. approaches used to evaluate the quality of existing information. Scientists from universities, federal research institutes, European authorities, international scientific networks and industry are appointed to the BfR commissions. ‘I am looking forward to my new role and the opportunity to support the BfR in this important task,’ says Prof. Libuda.

At Paderborn University, Prof. Libuda heads the Department of Nutrition Science at the Institute for Nutrition, Consumption and Health. Based at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, the working group researches the interactions between nutrition, mental and physical health, particularly with regard to cognitive performance, depression, ADHD, overweight and obesity. 

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